Method of making leather tires.



PATENTED FEB. 25, 19.08I A E. J. ELLEEGE; METEO-D 0E MAKING LEATHERTIRES.

APPLI-oATIoN FILED MM2.. 19o?.

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PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908..

R. J. ELLEDGE. METHOD 0F MAKING LEATHER TIRES.

APPLICATION lIILED MAY 2. 1907.

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.llllr! l UNTTED sTATEs PATENT oEErcE.

RAYMOND J. ELLEDGE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO ANTI OAKLEATHER COMPANY, O F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OFCALIFORNIA.

METHOD OF MAKING LEATHER TIRES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

Application filed May 2. 1907.' Serial No. 371.547.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND J. ELLEDGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State fCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Method of Making LeatherTires, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to methods of making leather tires, a tire, forexample, such as shown and described in a former application of mine,filed February 26, 1907, Serial Number 359,514, and the objects of thepresent invention are to. provide a simple and eX- peditious method ofconstructing leather tires at a minimum expense and produce a tire thatwill maintain its shape permanently. The devices employed in carryingout the method may be variously constructed, but I have shown in thedrawings one form `of construction which will facilitate anunderstanding of the method, and referring to the drawings '.-Figure 1is aside view showing the first strip of leather in the process of beingformed. Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 902 Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a viewshowing the appearance of the tire after the first step. Fig. 4 showsthe appearance of the tire 'after the second step.

, Fig. 5 shows the appearance after the next step. Fig. 6 shows theappearance after the neXt step. Fig. 7 is across section on line 9a7-x7Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a cross section on line xS- Fig. 4.- Fig. 9 is a crosssection on line xfrf Fig. 5. on line x10-:L10 Fig. 6. Fig. 11 is a sideelevation on a reduced scale of one of the ironing faces and illustratesthe corrugations thereon.

Briefiy, the process consists of applying -the'leather while damp and ina pliable condition, in successive strips to a form, and

y simultaneously applying pressure and -heat to the strip to fit it tothe form. After one strip has been thus applied to the form its edgesare tacked to the form and another strip is ironed on over the firststrip and the edges of the second strip are then tacked to the form.Thenv a third strip is ironed on over the succeeding strip, and in thismanner as many strips may be applied and shaped to the form as desired,the number of strips thus applied obviously dependingonthe desiredthickness of the tire which is to be construCted.v After the severalstrips have set,

Fig. 10 is a cross section i ing the built up piece slightly it may beremoved from the form as one piece, the ends of the piece may then befastened together by cement or in any desired manner and therim-engaging portions may be sewed or otherwise affixed to the edges ofthe piece to complete the tire.

The main features of the present invention relate to the method ofbuilding up the tires from several leather sections and securing thedesired permanent shape. i

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 designates a table having standards 2 whichsupport a shaft 3 upon which the form comprising a disk 4 is mounted. Apair of vertical arms 5 project up from the table 1, ea'ch arm beinghollow as shown, and the two arms at their upper ends communicate witheach other by a flexible'pipe 6 which permits thetwo arms to be adjustedtoward or awayvfrom each other without breaking communication. Abut-Vments Y on the table 1 support 'one of the arms 5 a ainst lateralmovement in one direction, whi e the other arm 5 may be held up inworking position by clamp screws 8. Pipes 9 and 10 communicate'respectively with the lower portions ofthe arms 5 and permit ofmaintaining a circulation of hot steam or other heating medium throughthe hollow arms; steam being admitted, for example, through pipe 9,passing up to the top of the adjacent hollow arm 5, thence through pipe6 into the opposite hollow arm, thence down and out through pipe 10.Drain-cocks 11.

are located in the lower endsof the arms for draining oifcondensed steamwhich falls to the bottom of the arms.

Each arm is formed with a curved upper face 12 and is broadened at itsbase, the arm being in side elevation substantially Lshaped as shown inFig. 1. The curved faces 12 are 'not concentric with the form 4 asshown, but

curve inwardly from the erimeter of the form. rIhe inner faces of t ehollow arms 5 constitute what maybe termed ironing faces,

. ironingfaces of the hollow arms into close contact with the form. Thehollow arms are so adjusted that a very great pressure is produced onthe leather which7 combined with the heat, stretches the leather andirons it into shape so that it fits the edge of the Jform. This pressureis so great that considerable power is required to turn the torni 4. Themethod is continuous, the strip being gradually fed to the ironsandvformed in place thereby over the edge of the `form andv stretchedthereon underl great ressure and heat, the heat acting in greater egreeon the outer surface of the leather strip than on the inner, as thestrip must be stretched more on its outer surface than on its innersurface. After the first strip has thus been stretched on the -form itsedges are tacked as indicated in Fig. 3, then another strip is formedover the lirst stripv in the saine manner and the second strip tacked inplace, -then athird strip is formed over the second strip in the samemanner and tacked in place. The strips thus applied to the form haveprace tically all of their stretchreinoved and when set are very hardand resistant. After the successive layers have thus been formed thetacks are removed and the ends of the ring are united by cementing orotherwise, and other strips ol leather are laced or sewed to the edgesto form the rim-engaging portion of the tire. The comparativelyT sharpcorners of the tire become considerably blunt after its removal from theform so that the cross sectional contour is rounding. During the ironingprocess the corrugations on the ironing faces greatly facilitate thestretching 'of the leather, as they grip the surface of the leather andtend to increase the drag, and it is possible to stretch theA leather toany desired degree. The form 4 may be'turned around by any suitablemachinery.` It should be turned rather slowly to enable the heat toef'lectively act upon the leather inv the process 0i forming andstretching. rlhe clamping I l l l l l l screws S may be relaxed a trifleafter each successive strip has been applied to give ro'oin for thesucceeding strip.

A form of given size is suitable for shaping -tires ol` variousdiameters,l as within certain I. The process of making leather tireswhich consists of ap lying leather strips successively over the edre ofa circular form and ironing each strip as it is applied `over the edge.of the form.

2. The process ot making leather tires which consists of drawing a moiststrip of leather on a circular form between two hot ironing plates andsubsequently applying successive strips over the first strip, thenremoving the ring of strips from the rforinand uniting thev ends of thering and finishing the tire.

' 3. The method of making leather tires which consists of applyingsuccessive strips oi damp leather to the edge of a circular form withgreat pressure, simultaneously stretching the leather as it is appliedtothe form and at the same time imparting greater heat to the outerportion of the strip than to its inner portion whereby the outer portionof each strip is stretched more than theinner portion, and subsequentlyfinishing the tire.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set .my hand at Los Angeles,California, this 24th dav of' April i907.

RAYMOND J. ELLEDGE.

ln presence (wfy GEORGE 'l'. UAcnLEY, FRANK' L. A. GRAHAM.

